How to Pass the CritiCall Test

CritiCall is the pre-employment test most public-safety agencies use to screen 911 dispatcher and call-taker applicants. It isn't one test — it's a battery of short, timed modules run back to back on a computer. That format is exactly why prepared candidates pass and unprepared ones don't: it's less about knowing facts and more about performing several skills at once, under time pressure, without warming up.

What CritiCall measures

The exact modules an agency turns on will vary, but most batteries include some mix of:

• Data entry — typing names, numbers, and addresses accurately from what you hear or see.
• Typing speed — plain typing, scored on speed and accuracy.
• Memory — holding details from a short audio clip and answering afterward.
• Prioritization and decision-making — deciding which call or action comes first.
• Map reading, cross-referencing, and spelling — the "clerical" skills a dispatcher leans on constantly.

Where candidates lose points

Two things sink most first-timers. First, accuracy under speed — it's easy to type fast or type correctly, and hard to do both while listening. Second, the audio modules. Hearing an address once, over background noise, and entering it correctly is a specific skill, and it's the one generic prep barely touches.

How to prepare

Practice the way the test actually runs: timed, mixed modules, and — critically — with real call-taking audio, not silent worksheets. Build your typing accuracy first, then your speed. Get comfortable capturing details from audio the first time you hear them. And do full run-throughs so the back-to-back format isn't a surprise on test day.

DispatchPrep is built around that last gap: studio-produced call-taking audio that mirrors what you'll hear on the job and on the test. See what's included →